Date: 2/12/2008
Author: Devin Pickard
Title: Where were you?
We hear people say it all the time. “I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when John F. Kennedy was shot....when Elvis Presley died....when the Space Shuttle exploded....when the Twin Towers went down” etc. Well, most of us in Hickman County can now add this to that list.....remembering where we were and what we were doing the evening of Tuesday, February 5, 2008. Let me give you my answers to each of the above......JFK was assassinated 6 years before I was born.....I was in Shipps Bend probably still playing with my presents from my 8th birthday on August 16, 1977 when the King of Rock and Roll was found dead....I was 16 years old and probably eating lunch in the cafeteria at HCHS around 11:39 on January, 28, 1986 when the Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight....I was at the restaurant cooking BBQ the morning of September 11, 2001...... I was in the J.E. Sisco Memorial Gymnasium the evening of Tuesday, February 5, 2008 watching a basketball game between the East Hickman Eagles and the Hickman County Bulldogs when tornadoes swept across much of the south including many areas of Hickman County.
Storms and tornadoes date all the way back to the great flood. Jobs children were killed when an apparent tornado struck the house in which they were having a meal. Jonah found himself thrust into a storm as he was trying to run from God. The faith of the disciples was second-guessed by Jesus as he calmed a storm in Matthew 8. Many folks, both Christian and non-Christian alike, would question why God would allow such calamity to take place, especially amongst his own children. Take for instance the storms of this past week. In an average year in the United States, 65-70 people will be killed by tornadoes. About that many died in just this storm alone, with at least 33 of those being Tennesseans. How could anything positive or good come from such tragedy? Read on.
Romans 8:28 says “all things work together for good for those who love God”. Now, two quick observations. Paul writes that “all things work together”, not “all good things work together”. “All” means “All...good and bad”. He also says that all things work together for “those who love God”. Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments”. That speedily narrows down who truly loves God. The Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the reality of God’s love if we will only allow it. Someone once said, “To realize the worth of the anchor, you have to feel the storm.” Sort of makes sense, doesn’t it?
The Brushy community was among the areas hardest hit by what some say was an F4 tornado. Many places down Highway 48 and Brushy Road look like a war zone. You almost have to see it to believe it. But you know what else you will see? Helping hands....lots of them. Good Samaritans from all corners of our community and state are here to do whatever they can. The Brushy Church of Christ fellowship building, at least as of Saturday, was full to overflowing with food, drinks, and friendly faces to assist those affected by the disaster as well as the volunteers who had come to help. Our basement here at Fairfield is currently jam packed with clothes, toiletries, bedding, toys, and so many other things donated by good folks who want to help those who suddenly find themselves in need of the most basic items. Not more than just an hour ago, a large-rental truck from the Etheridge Church of Christ unloaded a ton of stuff here at the building aimed at helping people that they don’t even know. They just knew the people of Hickman County needed help and they, like so many around, responded to the call. Terry Banks, who along with his wife and mom survived the tornado by holding on to the back of a truck, told me that he quickly resigned himself to the fact that they were about to die in a tornado. Thankfully, he was wrong. He said he “guessed God has other plans for us”. I think Terry is exactly right. Part of God’s plan is for us to serve one another.....tornado or not.
Go the extra mile - Devin